


The Truth

by QuietREBelGirlWithVoDKa



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Broken Hearts, Emotional Kelly Kelly, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Infidelity, M/M, lots of lies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 10:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13212060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietREBelGirlWithVoDKa/pseuds/QuietREBelGirlWithVoDKa
Summary: The truth is...Originally posted 2/8/2011.





	1. The Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This started as a prompt fill, and then I ended up turning it into a little three part that was slightly more dramatic than I'd intended. But there are just some fics that won't let me leave them unfinished. Cross posted. Originally posted 2/8/2011.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own shit.
> 
> Warnings: Lots of lies.
> 
> Prompt: JustinxJohn. Your love is my drug.

"So, hey, I'm going to visit Natalya later on today."

And Kelly says it so casually anyone else wouldn't even catch the implication, (and no one does, but the simple fact that it's  _Kelly_  talking to  _Justin_  about  _Natalya_  has suddenly caught the attention of the entire locker room.) but Justin's head snaps up immediately.

"Can I come?" he asks, and it all tumbles out almost in one word.

Kelly just smiles, walking over to plant herself in his lap.

"Of course you can, baby." she giggles, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

He grins as he kisses her back, his hands wrapping around her lower back. He  _loves_  going with the girl to Natalya's. Even better that the whole locker room knows this fact, Justin thinks, an almost devious smile on his face as he pulls back to brush noses with the blonde. He can't lie. This is the best news he's had all day.

 

**III**

 

The entire Smackdown locker room, and some of the Raw one, think Justin Gabriel is sleeping with not only Kelly Kelly, but also Natalya Neidhart, on occasion. Since Natalya and Tyson have been having problems lately, it seems plausible to everyone. None of them feel the need to even acknowledge the rumors, so they just haven't been denied. Justin feels so guilty for lying to Heath and Wade like this, but he knows there's no way Heath could keep a secret, and Wade can't deny Heath anything, so Justin's got to make damn sure that he keeps everything under wraps.

The truth is...the truth is that these rumors couldn't possibly be  _further_  from the truth. Justin's almost shaking, a broad smile on his face as the car pulls into Natalya's enclosed driveway later on, the gate sliding closed behind them. He waits for the car to roll to a stop and walks around, opening Kelly's door for her and helping her out of the car with a kind smile. He even opens the back door and takes her coat for her like a good boyfriend does. The second his hands are free, however, there's a large pair of hands over his eyes, and he's pulled back against a broad chest. His smile threatens to take over his face, and he spins around, leaning up excitedly and taking his lover's face in his hands, kissing him fiercely. The hands move to Justin's back, holding him close as the older man kisses him back. Right as he feels his lips parted with a practiced tongue, there are catcalls from behind them.

"Oh, get a room!" Kelly calls, and Justin knows he's the only one who catches the mild hostility in her tone.

"Well lucky for us, I've got one upstairs, so uh, we'll just be on our way." Justin's lover quips with a smile, and Justin laughs as his hand is taken swiftly.

"Ha ha, very funny, John!" Natalya almost giggles, but she waves them on, and Justin feels himself being tugged up the stairs to the back bedrooms of the Neidhart house.

The bedroom door isn't even closed before John Cena has his shirt off and is dragging his teeth down Justin's chest. Justin moans, his nails digging into John's shoulders as the older hits his knees. John kisses along the high flyer's waistline, the dips of his hips. He tugs Justin's belt out of the loops, unzips his pants.

"So proud of you, baby, you  _won_!" John whispers, and the second the words fall on Justin's lips, he grins. He's excited about winning the tag match tonight, too.

He's worried since he got traded that John would miss his matches, or worse, lose interest in him all together, but it seems that absence  _does_  make the heart grow fonder, at least in these cases. It's certainly made things much more difficult for them.

The truth is that the whole thing is a lie. The truth is that Justin Gabriel has been sleeping with John Cena for the last five months. The truth is that the whole thing with Kelly is a cover. The truth is that since John just stays at Natalya's often enough anyway, no one thinks anything of it anymore. The truth is that since John's still married, and the fucking  _face of the WWE_ , there's no possible way they can be out about it at all. The only reason that Kelly knows is because she's Justin's  _best friend_  and he'd needed to tell  _someone_ , and then rumors had started about Justin and Kelly, and Kelly had eventually said "why not?" and decided to cover for them. That way, Justin would always have someone there who had his back in the whole thing. As far as they knew, no one was the wiser.

The whole thing has been wearing on Justin, though, especially since the trade, and John's lips around his cock can only do so much to heal the pain, but the things that the older is muttering between breaths are making up for it. It's moments like these that Justin knows, for certain, that John really  _loves_  him. Kelly won't believe it, says that if John really did, he'd have already left his wife, that he would at least let the high flyer tell his friends. But Justin understands, he really does. John has worked so hard for most of his life to become the face of the company, to be the best wrestler he can possibly be. He can't risk all of that for a relationship that's only been going on for five months. Kelly's a girl, though, he thinks, and a hopeless romantic at that, and things aren't always so bright and shiny in the real world, he knows. He just can't seem to make her understand that.

She just, she doesn't  _get_  that being with John is the best thing in the entire world. Because John really does love him, and he shows him in a lot of ways, even if no one else sees it but him. He's the only one who matters, anyway, after all. He comes with a shudder, his legs shaking and falling out from under him. John catches him carefully, holding him closely.

"You're so beautiful, Angel. Has anyone else told you that lately? If they haven't, they should." John whispers, kissing his forehead tenderly as he scoots to lean against the bed, brushing Justin's hair back carefully. "God, I've missed you. I didn't think it'd be this bad, but it's so  _hard_."

"I know, baby, I know, but I'm  _here_." Justin whispers.

This meeting place had become their safe haven, completely private. It was the absolute perfect cover, and he's relieved they've got it. John pulls him up onto the bed, undressing himself as he goes, and Justin smiles, leaning up to kiss his lover's chest. They're so addicted to each other that neither of them can stand it, the signs of withdrawal evident on their tired bodies even as they make love. It makes Justin hurt, but also makes him relieved he's not the only one still so heavily affected by the other. As he comes again later, John's name on his lips, he realizes he can't live without the older man. He just hopes that John can't live without him either, and that one day, he won't have to sneak around like some junkie for his fix.


	2. Your Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own shit. 
> 
> Author's Note: Originally posted early 2012. Cross posted.

Kelly stalks into the locker room like she's on a mission. It makes John nervous, the way she approaches him. He turns slowly, t-shirt in hand, to face her as she comes to stand cross-armed in front of him. John offers the girl a smile.

"Hey, Kelly." he says with a light grin. "What's up?"

"Cut the crap, John. We need to talk." she says angrily.

"Oh yea?" he inquires, a shake to his voice. "What, ah...what about?"

"About  _Justin_ , John." the girl almost snarls, and John's eyes snap wide open.

The Superstar grabs her shoulders, moving her to the side so he can make sure the locker room is empty. Once he's been reassured, he glares at her, but doesn't release her.

"You can't just come in here popping off about that! What the hell is your problem?" John demands quietly.

Kelly slaps his hands away, glaring harder still as she shoves him backwards. She refuses to be intimidated. This is  _Justin_. This is  _important_.

" _You're_  my problem! You and the way you treat my best friend." she replies, her voice full of fury. Her eyes narrow further as she re-crosses her arms. "You don't deserve him."

Cena seems to almost crumple under her gaze. Almost. There's still fight in him as he reponds.

"You think I don't know that? You think I'm not fully aware of the fact that he's so far out of my league he might as well be from another fucking planet?" John asks desperately. His tone is still harsh, however. "I can't help it, though. I love him."

"Really? You show him that by keeping your wife, too?" Kelly accuses him, eyes narrowing. John grits his teeth, clenches his fists.

"I haven't left my wife because it would be an idiotic move." he tells her slowly, as if he's speaking to a child. He figures he may as well be at this point, for all she understands about the situation. He barely resists the urge to get right in her face as he speaks. "It would ruin  _everything_  for us, Kelly."

"No,  _John_. An idiotic move is stringing Justin along like this." the blonde corrects him. She moves forward, backing John up against the lockers with the sheer intensity of her argument. "Do you know how much it kills him to have to watch you play husband with her at all these functions? To know that you're going home every week to be with her?"

Then, Kelly's right in his face, condescending look in her eyes.

"To be your dirty little secret?" she finishes, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She sounds positively disgusted.

John wants to slap her, though he's not sure if it's because it's true or because it's not. He opts for gently moving her back a few steps with large hands on her upper arms instead.

"You have  _no_   _idea_  what you're talking about." he tells her, his tone dangerous. For a moment, Kelly almost gets scared, especially as Cena's eyes narrow to match her own. "I love that boy, more than anyone else."

"I do, too." Kelly agrees, trying to keep the hint of nervousness out of her voice. She's not sure if he'll resort to violence over this or not, but she continues anyway. She  _has_ to do this, dammit. She presses on, "And that's why I'm not letting you hurt him anymore."

"Excuse me?" John questions, confused.  _Ha!_ , Kelly thinks, convinced she's finally gained the upper hand, catching him off guard.

"I didn't stutter. I'm through watching you drag him along at a distance while you keep a confortable, snug little arm around your wife. I'm putting my foot down." she explains, staring the older down as if she stands three feet taller than him. "You have a choice to make, John. Either you tell your wife what's up, or you leave Justin the hell alone."

The Superstar almost laughs. It's ridiculous, the mere thought of Kelly trying to order him around like this.

"What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?" he asks her, trying his damndest not to smirk. Kelly's gaze hardens. Then, she delivers the kill shot.

"Because I believe you really do care about him." the girl says, and the statement takes all the fight out of John. He pauses, completely focused suddenly on what she has to say. "Because I think you can see, when you really think about it, how much it's hurting him. Because you know how selfish it is. Because you know, deep down, that all that's really important is that, at the end of the day, he's happy."

John doesn't even know what to say. He stares at Kelly, processing her speech carefully. Before he has a chance to formulate a response, she's speaking again.

"Like I said, you have a very important choice to make, John. I hope you make the right one, but I doubt you will." she says.

And with that, she's turning and leaving the room, letting the door slam shut behind her. John sinks down onto the bench, his heart heavy with everything the blonde had said. In a matter of minutes, his entire world had been thrown off balance. Now, he's unsure where everything stands. He's at a complete loss as to what he's going to do. The only thing he knows for certain is that he's got to do  _something_.

(Outside in the hall, Kelly feels her legs tremble under her. She's outright  _terrified_ , though for whose reaction, she's not sure. Either way, all she can do now is wait.)

 

**III**

 

Two weeks later, and Kelly knows she's fucked up. She's never seen Justin so miserable. She'd dropped by the apartment because she hadn't heard from her friend in a week. It was unusual, even with how busy they are, so she made it a point to stop by and check in on him. What she finds isn't a pretty sight. The apartment is absolutely trashed, dirty clothes everywhere. Justin looks as if he hasn't been eating or sleeping. His beard is untrimmed, and his hair is an absolute mess. To top it all off, his cheeks are red and swollen, his eyes puffy and bloodshot, like he's been crying a lot. He doesn't even say anything to her when he opens the door, hopeful look in his eyes dying. He simply steps to the side so she can enter.

As Kelly sets about cleaning up and making Justin food, a guilty knot forms in the pit of her stomach. The high flyer had wandered back to the bedroom some time ago, and all she's heard from the room is the low thrum of music pouring from his surround sound. Justin had barely spoken to her after he'd let her in, keeping his answers under three words as often as possible, before finally leaving her alone altogether. The entire time she's been at the apartment, she's tried to think of anything else at all that could possibly be making her friend this upset. After all this time, she still comes up with nothing.

The blonde finally finishes the soup she's been making and pours some in a bowl, taking a deep breath before taking it into Justin's room. The scene before her breaks her heart. The high flyer is curled into a half-ball on the bed, his phone lying near his face. He's staring at it, a completely distraught look on his face. Kelly rounds the bed and sets the bowl down, sitting next to Justin on the bed.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asks, dreading the answer even she speaks.

Justin doesn't respond for a moment, and when he does, it's only indirectly, almost to himself.

"I haven't heard from him in over a week. Why would he just ignore me? Did I do something wrong?" he nearly whimpers.

Kelly reaches out, rubbing his back tenderly as her stomach drops into her feet. There's only one person he could be talking about. She feels  _awful_.

"No way! I doubt you could ever do anything to upset John." she pipes up. She knows it's true, and it stings that much more.

"Then why won't he just  _talk_  to me? He won't answer my calls or texts or anything!" Justin says, sitting up a little bit to better face her. She hates that fresh tears are forming in his eyes.

The girl cringes inwardly, but knows she has to come clean. If anyone has hurt him in all this, it's her. He has a right to know, she thinks, opening her mouth and swallowing her pride.

"I think...I think it might be my fault." she mutters, terrified, and Justin pushes himself up the rest of the way, his expression narrowing.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'your fault'?" the high flyer nearly demands, anger seeping into his voice.

She looks away, can't possibly bear to meet his eyes. Not now. Justin's not having it, though, grabbing her by the shoulder and spinning her to face him once more. It's so reminiscent of the scene in the locker room that it  _kills_  her.

"What in the hell did you do, Kelly?" he questions, his tone almost deadly. When she finally does answer, she's barely even mumbling the words, and Justin has to strain to make them out.

"I told him to leave you alone."

Justin stares at her for a few long, silent moments, like he's waiting for the punch line. The longer she goes without continuing, the antsier he gets until he suddenly looks as if he's been slapped, his eyes popping open wider as he looks her over.

"Wait, are you serious?" he almost breathes the question, nervousness edging into his tone. Then, louder, "Kelly, are you fucking serious right now?"

She turns away once more, her eyes wet, and bites on her lower lip, and Justin loses it, starting to shake.

"No. No, you, you couldn't have. No, you wouldn't do that, you wouldn't...No, no, nononononono..." he mutters, his hands slipping from her shoulders.

"Justin, I'm sorry, I thought-" Kelly tries, reaching for him, but her touch burns him, irritates him beyond reason, and he slaps her hands away, shoves her back.

"No, fuck you! How could you, Kelly? You know he means the  _fucking world_  to me, and y-you're supposed to be my  _best friend_ , yet you..." Justin trails off, has to, suddenly can't breathe. He's so upset, all of his words are mingling, his thoughts tangling together until he can't even process them properly. He drops his head into his hands, fingers threading roughly into his hair even as he shakes his head. He can't even  _look_  at Kelly right now, so distraught by the actions of someone who was supposed to care for him, combined with the loss of the person he loves most, ever...it's too much, and when he hears himself speak, he almost questions if it's even his own voice. "Get out."

The blonde's eyes open wide, filling with hurt. All she wants is a chance to explain herself, but Justin's not even giving her that. When she still hasn't moved a few moments later, Justin finally looks up at her. The look in his eyes makes her gasp, tears swimming across her vision as she covers her mouth with a trembling hand. She's never seen him so outright hysterical, so  _angry_  before. It scares her, especially when he starts yelling.

"What, more of your selective hearing? Get the hell out of here!" the high flyer cries out, and the hurt and anger in his eyes is nothing compared to the sheer  _hate_  in his voice. It makes Kelly shake more, cry harder. This wasn't what she'd meant to happen  _at all_.

"I j-j-just wanted to  _help_..." she sobs, tears flowing freely now. Justin disregards them completely, however, lashing out even more.

"Help  _how_?" he screams, and she jumps, cowering a bit under his rage. She falls silent though, save for her soft crying, and so does he, just long enough to collect himself. When he speaks again, his voice is shaky, but full of so much anger, so much raw disgust, that it strikes right at Kelly's core. "Kelly, you  _ruined my life_. I don't want to see you anymore. Now, get. The  _fuck_. Out."

Kelly couldn't argue even if she wanted to. She can hardly stand, but somehow, she manages to, if for no other reason than she  _has_  to get away from Justin. She pushes herself hurriedly to her feet, hurrying on trembling legs out of the bedroom. She misses when she tries to grab her purse off the table, eyes too clouded with wetness, and she has to backtrack to actually pick it up. Then she's out the door, wiping furiously at her eyes and sniffling to try and clear her senses enough to drive. She only makes it as far as the driver's seat before she breaks down and cries.


	3. Use Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Originally posted 06/13/2012. Cross posted.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own shit.

Another three weeks pass by even more agonizingly slow than the first three, with still not as much as an e-mail from Justin. From what she's heard, he hasn't even been at any wrestling events. The fear that's been in the pit of her stomach keeps growing, and she feels worse than ever about the whole thing. It's one thing to want the best for Justin, it's another to cost him the people who care for him the most, herself included. But, she deals with it to the best of her ability, knows it's her fault anyway, so she has no other choice but to grin and bear it. After the fourth week with no sign of her friend at all, though, she pushes her fears aside, and heads to Justin's apartment, a knot of nerves in her stomach once more. He may be ignoring her, but he's still her best friend, and she can't help but be worried.

When Kelly goes to park outside the apartment, though, she nearly wrecks. There's a familiar car parked right next to Justin's, and Kelly thinks, no fucking way. She runs a trembling hand along the frame of the Mustang as she exits her own vehicle, equally thrilled and terrified at the possibilities that this simple sight could entail. As she approaches the door, she takes a deep, steadying breath, tries to prepare herself for whatever tragedy could possibly lie on the other side. By the time she raises her hand and knocks, she's sure she can take on anything. She finds herself ill-prepared, however, for the reality that is John Cena answering the door with a wide, beaming smile.

"Hey, Kelly!" he exclaims, something like excitement in his voice. "What a surprise seeing you here! Come on in."

"Dammit, John, I said-" Justin's voice interrupts the Superstar from behind him. John shoots the younger man a stern look as he steps to the side and beckons the blonde in.

"I don't give a damn what you said. We need to have this conversation and we may as well have it right now. She's coming inside." John tells his lover.

The first thing Kelly notices when she steps inside is Justin's totally submissive expression as he looks at the older. She's almost instantly distracted, though, by the very obvious presence of John spread all throughout the living room area of Justin's home. His things are now everywhere, she realizes, surveying the room in almost a complete circle. By the time she turns to face the two of them once more, door shut effectively behind her, her expression has turned to one of almost astonishment. She can't even help it.

"What's going on?" she asks in complete disbelief.

"Glad you went ahead and asked that." John replies, offering her a smile that borderlines on being condescending. "Why don't you sit down?"

And really, the way Kelly's legs are trembling now in sheer shock, she really doesn't have another choice. She plants herself on the couch and watches Justin shuffle awkwardly from foot to foot, refusing to really even get too close, despite John's encouraging look. John stares harder at the South African, willing him to just take a seat on the couch next to the girl. For a moment, Justin avoids his gaze completely, and Kelly's stomach turns at the sight. Finally, the high flyer shoots Cena a glare that succeeds in making the girl feel even worse, especially when he drops down onto the arm of the couch rebelliously. John rolls his eyes, and Kelly can almost see him fighting the urge to throw his hands up in defeat. She has to admit to herself, she's done the same thing many a time in relation to her friend.

"Oh, what the hell ever." John snaps, making her jump, eyes widening. Then, quieter, "Little shit."

Justin just crosses his arms over his chest, still glaring at the Superstar. "Let's just get this over with."

Kelly's gaze drops to her lap. This is never how she meant for things to go, she thinks. Then, John's speaking again and she has no other choice but to listen. She turns her eyes to him, but keeps her head pointed downward in something that feels closer to shame than she thinks she ever has.

"Now, Kelly. We're really glad you stopped by, because the thing is, we've been wanting to talk to you for a couple weeks now." John begins, but Justin almost instantly interrupts him.

" _You've_  been wanting to talk to her." the high flyer mumbles, and this time, it's John's turn to glare.

"Justin." he says, warning in his tone. Justin lowers his gaze, lets out a light sigh.

"Sorry." the younger replies, voice soft. Kelly finds herself shocked watching their exchange, but she hides it well when John turns back to her.

"Anyway. Kelly." John addresses her again, and she sits up a little straighter. "You, little lady, came to see me a couple months ago, and you had a very angry message for me. So angry, in fact, that you left me with an ultimatum. Leave my wife, or leave Justin."

The blonde has to look away again at this. Her cheeks burn red hot with embarassment, and she can feel Justin's heated expression staring a hole in her. John keeps talking, though, completely ignoring her evident discomfort (much the way she had his in the first place, she thinks).

"I'll admit, at first, I was angry, too. Who the hell were you to come around throwing ultimatums at me? But, the more I thought about it...the more I realized you kind of had a point." John says, and Kelly's head snaps up to face him, amazement practically painted on her features. His expression is soft as he continues. "What I was doing wasn't fair, to my wife or to Justin. I was being selfish, and scared, and most importantly, stupid, and even though I didn't realize it, I really was about to lose the most important person in my life. So, regardless of how you felt, Kelly, I had a choice to make. Like you said, a damn important one."

Kelly's so shocked, she doesn't want to correct his language. She can't believe John is agreeing with her, can't believe she even got through to him. All this time, she'd been convinced she had pissed the older man off so much that he hadn't even wanted to be with Justin anymore, determined that their little trysts weren't worth it any longer if this was what he had to deal with. This is the polar opposite of those thoughts. Then, John continues speaking, and even though his presence tells Kelly exactly where this conversation is probably headed, she still finds herself on the edge of her seat as he does.

"So, I took some time, thought it over...and decided to tell Liz what was going on." John informs the girl. This time, she has to fight to keep her jaw from outright landing on the floor. She knows her eyes must be wide as saucers, staring the Superstar down in sheer amazement. He tells her, "That's why I didn't talk to Justin for a little while. I didn't want anyone to know until it was all over. The second everything was settled a couple weeks ago, though, I came straight here, and I've been staying here ever since."

Kelly is struck speechless. She never dreamed things would play out like this, ESPECIALLY not because of her. For a moment, she wonders if she is dreaming, but she knows the discomfort she was feeling earlier, the unease that has completely disappated from her, was very real. She finds herself utterly shell-shocked as she struggles to absorb all the information. She single-handedly made John Cena leave his wife. Before she has a real chance to let it sink in, John's voice cuts through her thoughts once more.

"Basically, what I want to say, Kelly, is thank you. You may have been a bit out of line, but it turned out alright. You told me what I needed to hear but didn't want to, and you helped me fix things. So, thank you." John says, and Kelly feels her breath catch. An expression of gratitude is the last thing she'd expected to receive upon her arrival here.

"Y-you're, uhm. You're welcome?" she manages, tripping over her own words. "I-I mean, I'm sorry for being so rude, John. But I'm glad things worked out okay?"

The blonde can't even help it, she's back to being slightly nervous. It hasn't escaped her attention that the whole time, Justin has remained totally silent, perched on the arm of the couch not even looking at her. It hurts that even with the way things turned out, her best friend won't acknowledge her presence in anything but anger. She can't help wishing he would at least say something her. It's like he doesn't even notice she's there, just keeps staring at the floor, even as she looks sadly at him. John notices, though, and he clears his throat loudly, startling the high flyer and making him jump so hard he almost falls off the couch. He turns to John with a curious expression.

"Justin." John says his name softly, and nods toward the blonde girl. Justin looks at her briefly, shoots her a half-hearted glare before turning back to his lover with a much more solid one. Kelly watches for a moment as they have what seems to be a silent conversation before suddenly, Justin heaves out a sigh. He mumbles something just under his breath, and John prompts, "What?"

Justin glares hard at the older, but turns a soft expression back to Kelly before repeating himself, "I said, I'm sorry, Kelly."

"Really?" she questions, astonishment in her tone.

"Yea. I shouldn't have been so cruel to you. I know you were trying to help, and really you did. I mean, I guess I should really be thanking you, too, for how everything turned out." Justin replies, moving to sit next to her on the couch, finally.

"No, Justin, no. You really don't have to thank me for anything. I really was out of line, and I understand why you were mad, because I was scared for the same reason. I messed up, even if it did turn out okay. I stuck my nose where it didn't belong, and on top of that, I was rude about it, and I feel awful about it." Kelly explains to him quickly. She looks between the high flyer and John as she continues. "That's why I came over. I was going to apologize."

"Well, apology accepted." John says, offering the two of them a beaming smile. "Now, what say we kiss and make up and move on from here in a positive direction, huh?"

Justin snorts in laughter at his boyfriend's ridiculousness, and it makes Kelly smile, as well. Then, the two turn to each other again, and Kelly's nerves return once more. She asks timidly (hopefully), "Can we?"

The high flyer's gaze finally, finally softens, and Kelly feels tears begin to fill her eyes as he offers her a light smile.

"Yea. I guess we should, huh?" he replies, and she has to bring a hand to her mouth to stifle her near sob.

Justin can't even help it, opens his arms for his friend to fold herself into. She does, too, burying her face in the crook of his neck and trying so very desperately not to cry. This time, however, they're tears of joy, for so grateful is she to have Justin back in her life. She'd been outright terrified for weeks that she had messed up beyond reason, lost one of the best friends she'd ever had. Those worries seem a million miles away with his arms around her now, hand running through her hair, soft shushing and foreign endearments drifting through her ears. She manages to keep her tears at bay long enough to pull back, look Justin in the eye.

"I missed you so much. I'm so sorry." she tells him, voice rushed and almost panicked. He presses a soft kiss to her forehead in response.

"I missed you, too. And I accept your apology, as well. I was really, really mad at you, but not anymore. Not at all." he replies, hugging her close again as he notices the tears coming back.

Justin meets John's eyes over her shoulder, and the older offers him a thumbs up and a relieved smile. Justin smiles as well. As angry as he was before, he can't help but feel relieved now, too. He admits, he was even still angry at Kelly the moment he'd heard her car pull up out front, the instant she'd knocked on his door. But now that he's heard the whole story, knows that John wouldn't even be here right now had it not been for the blonde, he can't help but feel grateful, as well. He presses another kiss to the side of his best friend's head, and she hugs him tighter, cries a little harder.

As Kelly lets out all of her emotion from the last few weeks, she notes the vast difference between today and the way she'd left the apartment a few weeks prior. Though she'd been crying all the same, now, Justin's here to hold her and comfort her, the way a best friend should. It's not as though she needs comfort, however, tears of happiness dripping down onto Justin's skin from her face. John surveys the scene, takes it all in. It's hardly the first time lately that he's heard a woman crying, but this time, it relaxes him somehow. He honestly couldn't be more thankful to be here, right now, with his lover and his lover's best friend, not having to worry about getting home to Liz. This is home now.

Things are definitely different, and they all know it now. It seems as if their entire world has been flipped on its head, all three of them, but for once, none of them are scared. In fact, not a single one of them could be happier. Right here, in this moment, they're all exactly where they want to be. And that is the truth.


End file.
